Jim Henson’s Labyrinth Coronation #5
Archaia / Boom! Studios
Written by Simon Spurrier
Art by Daniel Bayliss and Irene Flores
Colors by Dan Jackson
Letters by Jim Campbell
Jareth continues to watch Sarah make her way through the Labyrinth and his attention to telling the story of his mother begins to wane as he sees Sarah begin to succeed. It’s up to the goblin Beetlegum to keep little Toby happy and it is getting harder to do, especially when the goblin king decides to make the baby watch as he torments his sister.
The story shifts back to the past as baby Jareth is in the same predicament and the king overseeing his capture is far less patient. His age and waning powers have gotten the attention of his court and they see Maria’s continued success as a challenge to the king’s power. Enough that the king himself acknowledges that he is losing control and that rebellion is in the air. The Goblin King must do something to keep Maria from succeeding and he decides that he will use her love of Albert against her.
To her credit, Maria is more resilient that they think and it is a credit to the writer that she is written with such determination. Spurrier does a good job of making her a character that one wants to follow even though her story can only end in tragedy. Her journey continues to be compelling enough to keep readers invested. At the same time, they evil of the Goblin King continues to grow and his intimidation of her is menacing, but there is still that determination from her that she will succeed that keeps the story moving.
The art is another part of the story that keeps me interested. I was blown away by many of the panels and how rich in detail they were. There are some great contrasting looks in the characters with some being very hard edged and intimidating and others being softer. There is a distinct look to this issue that is very well done. The story seems to be moving faster now with the stakes being raised and my interest continues to be peaked by where the story is going.